Home Food Reviews A Gastronomical Adventure @ Jalan Bangkung

Jeen and I went for A Gastronomical Adventure with nibbleish.com at Jalan Bangkung last weekend. I called them up to ask if I could select the restaurants and sequence I wanted. Turns out I could, so we went with this order:

Starters @ Leonardo’s

Leonardo’s offers a warm, rustic ambiance for an ideal, laid-back meal. Once we were comfortably seated on plush chairs, we placed our orders.First up, we were served the garlic bread (complimentary). The crispy bread was buttery and garlicky, very nice with the creamy mushroom topping.

Leo’s Cured Salmon Carpaccio

with fennel parsley orange salad and campari dressing

We both had the Salmon Carpaccio, which we thought was the most interesting of the 3 starters. It was full of flavours (tangy, peppery & sweet) and textures (crunchy, juicy & meaty) without confusing the tastebuds. I especially enjoyed eating the salmon slivers with fennel slices.We expected a virgin margarita (complimentary), but the waitress asked if we preferred our drink with alcohol or without. Obviously, I went for the alcoholic version thank-you-very-much! *hic*

Ambiance: 7/10
Taste: 7/10 (non-halal)
Verdict: The salmon carpaccio had myriad flavours. A good starter.

61-2, Jalan Bangkung,
Bukit Bandaraya,
59100 Kuala Lumpur.
03 2096 2226
https://www.leonardos.my/

Mains @ Tasting Room

Tasting Room is a small and cosy bistro with a small al-fresco area at the balcony. Only a few tables and 2 sets of sofas filled up the place.

Cod Fish

Roasted cod fish served on the bed of squid ink pasta, sundried tomato,
asparagus accompanied with cepes voloute’ sauce

The codfish was overcooked and tasted rubbery, so Jeen sent it back to the kitchen. Second time around, it was still overdone. As she didn’t want to cause a scene, she let it slip. Texture aside, the combination of squid ink pasta and codfish was quite decent.

Angus tenderloin

Pan-fried chilled Angus tenderloin served on wild mushroom risotto,
braised vegetable, Portobello confit with cabernet reduction

I asked for my tenderloin medium rare, and it was beautiful. As well prepared as the tenderloin was, I found it ordinary (almost boring). The risotto was stodgy and not creamy enough. I reckon the rice grains were not cooked long enough, resulting in the texture being chewier than I like it to be.

Ambiance: 6/10
Taste: 5/10
Verdict: The mains were average, at best.

65-1 (above Wine Cellar),
Jalan Bangkung,
Bukit Bandaraya,
59100 Kuala Lumpur.

03 2092 4404

www.tastingroom.com.my

Dessert @ Cava

Our last stop was Cava, for dessert. The interior is classy and modern, with smooth, parquet (hard to tread in sky-scrapping stilettos) floors. On one side of the wall, empty wine bottles were lined on the shelves.Jeen already had her eyes set on the Sticky Date and Banana Pudding, ever since I showed her the menu online. I opted for the Chocolate Dream. Coffee (or tea) was on the house.

Chocolate Dream

Moist chocolate cake with lime custard sauce

Dessert was FANTASTIC. The chocolate dream was rich and decadent. Very proper and elegant. It had an intense and warm, molten chocolate center, and a crisp, outer shell. *heart*

Sticky Date and Banana Pudding

Lemon butterscotch with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

The sticky date and banana pudding was also very good. This moist, muffin-like pudding was homely and comforting. The butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream were the perfect pairing with the pudding.

Ambiance: 7/10
Taste: 8.5/10
Verdict: The chocolate dream was divine!

71, Jalan Bangkung,
Bukit Bandaraya,

59100 Kuala Lumpur
.
03-2093 6637

https://www.cava.com.my

*We paid RM70 nett each for this gastronomical adventure. Prices are about 30% cheaper compared to their ala carte, so I reckon it’s worth trying. Not something I’d go for on a regular basis, but it’s a good experience nonetheless.

If you’re interested, log on to www.nibbleish.com, select your preferred area, choose your restaurant-combo, and pay for it online. This food crawl is only until the end of May 2009.

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27 comments

thule a.k.a leo May 20, 2009 - 6:58 am

I was at the Tasting Room on Saturday night :) had a romantic dinner and a bottle of Pinot Noir… ended up pretty high!! hahaha…

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mimid3vils May 20, 2009 - 8:32 am

Do you think this is worth of $? Coz never dine in in all those restaurant b4 :P

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CUMI & CIKI May 20, 2009 - 8:44 am

same verdict as us actually! well done girl;D

(but did u find it value for money?)

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ling239 May 20, 2009 - 2:02 pm

the steak looks really good!! ^_^

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J2Kfm May 21, 2009 - 1:23 am

oh, so you get to choose the restaurants and dishes?
or just the sequence?

if RM70 per pax, including an Angus steak, that’s a steal probably.

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Bangsar-bAbE May 21, 2009 - 2:58 am

J2Kfm – I get to choose all – the restaurants, dishes and sequence…

It's a steal, especially if you're there for the experience…and the godly chocolate cake! =)

ling239 – It looks good, pity the risotto…

Cumi & Ciki – Yup, it was value for money…wouldn't go back for the mains, but desserts, definitely! ;)

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Bangsar-bAbE May 21, 2009 - 3:00 am

mimi – It’s worth the $$, cos you get to try different types of food!

Me neither, so this was a good experience for me!

leo – How did you find the food there? Any good?

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thule a.k.a leo May 21, 2009 - 3:06 am

it was great!! hahaha… maybe I just don’t have any high expectation prior to my visit :)
I had the smoked duck and chicken… while she had the pan fried lamb tenderloin… before that, we started off with creamy seafood chowder and finished off with chocolate cosmos.. the dessert was a hit!

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550ml jar of faith May 21, 2009 - 3:18 am

Ooh nice round-up there. Planning to do the Changkat stretch with nibbleish soon. I wonder if they do loaded drinks there as part of the meal too.. HMMMMMM

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taufulou May 21, 2009 - 4:43 am

eh eh …interesting food hunt. for around RM70…
nice advandture lei~

the food seems not bad plus with your comment.

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Nic (KHKL) May 21, 2009 - 4:48 am

ahhh, another review on nibbleish! cool stuff. cos i was thinking on whether to give it a try or not. the mains look good!

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"Joe" who is constantly craving May 21, 2009 - 5:41 am

dun think i want to walk around..eventhough i knw there are all nearby..haha..

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sakaigirl May 21, 2009 - 6:33 am

Interesting posts! Never knew there were such a gastronomical adventure! too bad we don’t have it in Penang! Thanx for sharing!

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foodbin May 21, 2009 - 7:02 am

the cured salmon looks delicious, was it salty?

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ai wei May 21, 2009 - 8:04 am

sigh… til end may, cant go…

btw, i have added u into my blogroll :-)

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Bangsar-bAbE May 21, 2009 - 9:16 am

ai wei – How come?? Thanks, adding you too! =)

foodbin – It’s salty, tangy and sweet. The dressing was really good…

sakaigirl – No prob, thanks for dropping by! =)

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Bangsar-bAbE May 21, 2009 - 9:20 am

Joe – They are all next door to each other lar…and you’re going for the 10km walk in June?? T_T

Nic – The mains were average to me, but dessert was good.

taufulou – Food’s not bad, you should go try for yourself!

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Bangsar-bAbE May 21, 2009 - 9:29 am

550ml – That I’m not sure, but you can call to check!

leo – If I were to go back there, I’d probably try the carbonara…I heard it’s quite good! ;)

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Raymond May 21, 2009 - 9:39 am

wow..so much eye catching foods…want to exchange list?added you in my blog

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~Christine~Leng May 21, 2009 - 10:06 am

wow… would definitely love to give it a try :) so much food to try :) too bad this food crawl ends early..

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Lyrical Lemongrass May 21, 2009 - 12:45 pm

Can be quite a chore to walk from place to place, hor. Imagine, just when you’re getting cozy…whoosh…you have to move to the next restaurant. Whatever momentum one has built up is gone. ^_^

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Selba May 22, 2009 - 3:02 am

Can feel the ambience…. nice… :)

Food also good delish….

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Bangsar-bAbE May 22, 2009 - 4:26 am

Selba – Yup, I liked the ambiance…especially at Leonardo’s.

LL – Hahaha…true also! =P
I didn’t feel like moving once I sat down at Leonardo’s…

Christine – Let’s hope they extend it, or do another food crawl again! ;)

Raymond – Thx for dropping by!

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Sapuche May 23, 2009 - 4:19 am

These all look like great places to relax over good food and friends. The complimentary garlic bread at Leonardo’s and the complimentary coffee at Cava are smart, easy ways to please customers. Who doesn’t like free food and drinks? KL is definitely not hurting for good restaurants! Lucky you!

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Simon Seow May 24, 2009 - 9:45 am

Nicole told me that the chef changed already in Tasting Room hence the drop in quality.

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Bangsar-bAbE May 24, 2009 - 2:06 pm

Simon – Quality often drops when a chef leaves huh? o_0

Sapuche – Yes, everyone loves a complimentary something when they dine. ;)

Despite all these nice places to eat, I still love street food and back lane stalls!

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Rizwan November 20, 2009 - 3:34 am

Hey, You have been to loads of places – guess you are the bext person to ask – where can i get come really authetic mexican food?
Thanks, Riz

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